Polymarket Emerges as First Crypto Touchpoint for 60% of World Cup Bettors

About 60% of users who placed their first World Cup bets on Polymarket had never interacted with blockchain protocols before, a 90-day Bitget Wallet study found after tracking the onchain activity of 857,000 active Polymarket users. The data suggest prediction markets may be becoming an entry point into crypto rather than users beginning with token trading or DeFi protocols.

Alvin Kan, chief operating officer at Bitget Wallet, said earlier crypto onboarding efforts largely focused on making blockchain technology easier to understand through simpler wallets and better user interfaces, but users were still expected to learn how crypto worked before they could participate.

"Prediction markets shifted that dynamic. Users show up because they have a view on something happening in the world," Kan said. Trading activity has surged alongside the tournament. Daily taker volume reached a record $713 million on Saturday, according to Dune, a milestone that came more than a week after the World Cup kicked off on June 11.

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